


You can't quit (Until you try)

by BuriedDeep



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-04
Updated: 2013-08-04
Packaged: 2017-12-22 08:43:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/911214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuriedDeep/pseuds/BuriedDeep
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tao is in an abusive relationship. Will Kris and the others be able to save him before take a turn from bad to worse? Will Tao even want their want? Band AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	You can't quit (Until you try)

**Author's Note:**

> Tao is with an OC.

“You pathetic piece of shit” a disgruntle voice mocks as the sound of a body hitting the wooden floor echoes throughout the room. Zitao curls into himself on the floor, hoping that Simon would disregard him as too injured to toy with further. He remains deathly still, his chest hurts from the blow that been inflicted on his ribs and he can practically feel the bruises forming.

“Get up!” Simon barks at him. Zitao flinches and that seems to be all the movement Simon was looking for because the other man grabs Zitao by his hair and tugs his head painfully backwards. Zitao groans in pain, his eyes squeezing shut against the hurtful pull. The extreme pressure forming in his head almost makes him dizzy but he grits his teeth and sits up onto his knees. 

Unfortunately Simon deems him too slow in rising and before Zitao can process anything further he is being shoved head first back onto the ground. He manages to avoid hitting his forehead but the awkward position he places in hands cause his pinky to bend at a weird angle and when it flares up angrily in pain all he can do is cradle his hand close to his chest. 

“What am I going to do with you?” Simon stoops until he’s eye level with Zitao. The Caucasian man is smiling slightly. 

‘God he’s pretty’ is all Zitao can think bitterly even as he stares at the face of the man he loved. The man who took him in when no one else would. The man who had, is paying for his schooling. The man who is providing a shelter for his worthless ass even as Zitao continues to struggle gaining passing grades in school. Zitao tells himself that he deserves Simon’s mistreatments. 

Simon only wants the best for him and this is the only way Zitao would change. Simon always promised that things were going to be better. But he had also said that they could only get better if Zitao was properly behaved. Therefore when he screwed up Zitao needed punishment. He had honestly tried very hard to study for his exams and had managed to score mostly A’s but it was the two D’s that he had gotten that had driven Simon to punish him. Zitao should’ve tried harder. Simon was right, all Zitao ever did was fail.

“Get up. It’s almost time for dinner” without further word or comfort Simon stands and walks off out of Zitao’s eyesight, probably toward the kitchen. 

“Shit” Zitao curses, he pushes against the discomforting burn of his body and manages to get to his feet being careful not to hurt his pinkie further. He would have to wrap it then visit the hospital tomorrow morning. 

“Oh honey, these dinner rolls are delicious” Simon moans around the mouthful of dough he is eating. Zitao manages a smile, because sometimes Simon is just that adorable. 

“Now get your ass in the kitchen and fix me my plate” he demands sternly before heading toward the dining room. Zitao is quick to nod, already limping and wincing toward the kitchen. 

As he is grabbing a plate from the top shelf the phone rings startling him so badly he bumps his hip against the counter, the plate slipping from him. His heart is thundering heavily in his chest as he cradles the plate close to his chest. If it had broken, Simon…

Zitao wipes his freehand over his face. He’s so terrified that he’s probably breaking out in cold sweat. God knows Simon had beaten him for simpler things than breaking dishes. 

Zitao’s body couldn’t have taken another beating. He rests the plate on the counter, bracing himself on shaky hands as he tries to calm his breath. A smack to the back of the head, brings him back to reality.

“Answer the fucking phone you idiot” Simon shoves him away from the counter. Zitao quickly catches his balance before striding toward the phone. Not much people call their house phone. Both Zitao and Simon have cell phones which they use to keep in contract with friends or family and especially each other.

“Hello, Zitao speaking”

“Hello dear is this Hyung ZiZitao?”

“Yes please” he answers politely, if not a little curious.

“So sorry to call so late. I am calling about your audition to SME. You have been approved for training”

“T-thank, thank you very much, Miss. Thank you” he smiles happily. She informs him that he will receive an email with all the necessary instructions and Zitao is stuck in a shocked yet happy mindset and all he can really say is ‘thank you’ repeatedly. He wishes the woman a good evening before hanging up. 

He had gotten approved for training at SME! He was going to South Korea! He could become an idol in the next few years…months even!

He, he had managed to pass something on his own. Simon knew he had auditioned but the man would probably be even more delighted when he heard that Zitao had been accepted. Simon was right, things were going to get better. Simon is going to be so proud of him.  
`````  
2 Years Later

Zitao panted, wiping the sweat from his brow. He grinned happily at the applauding crowd and bows respectfully. All his fellow idols are doing the same but Zitao cannot hear anything over the sound of the fans yelling. He looks out into the audience, his smile wobbling a little as he is suddenly hit with how wonderful yet terrifying it all seems. His experience with being a part of EXO M was a gigantic mindfuck all on its own. 

He knew being accepted to SME as a trainee was a stepping stone into the immediate limelight of the Kpop industry but to be honest he had never thought he would’ve survived his trainee days. 

Meeting and getting to know new people had always been a struggle for Zitao and he had been a little offstandish to his fellow trainees in the beginning, not sure or confident enough to stand-out and too awkward to blend in. All the other boys were…well, pretty. And there he was, too skinny and weirdly pale to the point of being sickly looking with bags under his eyes. 

So yeah, he didn’t expect to be assigned to a group anytime soon. The practices had been long and hard. Something Zitao was not used to. He had known a few words in Korean at the beginning but he now he felt like they expected him to become a Chinese-to-Korean version of Rosetta Stone. At least he wasn’t the only one struggling. The pressures from online schooling, training and Simon drove him crazy to the point that he felt like he should just quit training. But then Simon would never let him hear the end of it.

“Waste of space. Look at you. Dropping out so early from such an amazing opportunity. Absolutely pitiful as usual” he imagined Simon would say. 

So Zitao struck through it, determined to see the process to the end despite his continuous spurts of doubts as to whether or not he’d even make it into an idol group. Out of a total of 20 trainees, 12 of them were introduced to the big plan for the next big Kpop group, EXO. Zitao was gratefully chosen as a part of that chosen 12. 

“Wow, such a large number” Kris grinned slightly, scratching the back of his head. “You think we’re going to be the next Super Junior?” he asked Zitao and Sehun. The three of them had slowly gravitated toward each other during the training sessions. They weren’t exactly close friends but they were far more comfortable around each other than most of the others at this point. Zitao likes Kris, but had trouble keeping up with the other man when he unconsciously slipped into English while speaking. Kris and Sehun were the perfect example of what SME was all about. Pretty boys with killer smiles and flawless skin, photogenic from all angles. 

“No way. I heard Kai say that we are going to be split up.” Zitao and Kris both nodded at the statement but as Kris and Sehun gossiped about the possibilities, Zitao tuned out the sound of their voices and nervously chewed on his thumbs, lost in thought. 

Eventually they were all called into a meeting and introduced to EXO K and EXO M concept. SME managers wasted no time in creating the split and Zitao was not surprised that he ended up in EXO M. He was Chinese. However, it was only after he had mentally accepted his position that he noticed Kris was also in EXO M. Beautiful Kris in a subunit? Zitao furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Kris deserved to be in the main group. Back then Zitao had considered the EXO K members to be in the main unit because their exposure to the fans would be more dominant. Kpop was a growing field of opportunity for overseas shows and fans, being in the Chinese subunit surely would not give Zitao the same the opportunities as it would for someone in EXO K. 

Simon had taken the news as a means to further belittle Zitao. 

“You fucking shit, couldn’t even get into the main part of EXO. Who the fuck trains for a year and ends up in the subgroup”

As they preparation for their debut arrived. Zitao put aside all hurtful jabs from Simon and focused on making this debut the best he could. As the months go by he no longer considers EXO M a subgroup. SME had promised that they all would be treated equally. The popularity of EXO would be shared as a 12 member group. Despite the split their purpose was to represent the EXO brand name. They were both subgroups, both designed to fit their target fans but all shaped to know the true value of unity as 12 active members. 

 

PRESENT:

An arm drapes itself roughly over his shoulder and suddenly he’s being pulled underneath a sweaty armpit. Tao immediately squirms but laughs aloud when Kris’ own loud giggles alert him as to who the person is.

“Kris, you’re disgusting” he grumbles, succeeding in escape the man’s hold. 

“I thought you loved my man-sweat. And the fans love our moments” the dark haired man smirks followed by a smug wink. Tao doesn’t even doubt him. He has utmost belief that if he looked out into the crowd at this time he would probably see 2 or more cameras focused on him and Kris. Said boy picks up one of the small plushy toys that the fans have thrown on the stairs and begins to rub its furry body onto Tao’s cheek. Tao cringes a little as he backs away from Kris putting some distance between them. Kris probably thinks he’s pretending to hate how adorable the act is but the truth is Tao is terrified of Simon seeing shots of him and Kris together. His fiancé, yes Simon had proposed, was very possessive and of course being famous he had expected Tao to get attention. However, Simon could not stand the sight of Kris and Tao together.

“I bet you’re probably thinking of him every time we fuck huh?” Simon had accused, grabbing Tao by the back of his neck angrily. 

“You like the pretty boy, don’t you. You fucking whore”

“No Simon! God! I would nev…ah, ow, Kris is just-just a friend. It’s called fan service” Simon had not liked being corrected and had proceeded to drag Tao up the stairs to their room, where later he pounded into Tao from behind, whispering, “You do you belong to? Huh babe, who can fuck you like this?”

“Y-you” Tao had replied brokenly between whimpers.

From then on, Tao tried to keep his public interactions with the Kris brief. Back at the dorms they would hang out in the privacy of their building but out in the open like this there was too much risk that Simon would see pictures of them together and read too much into their interaction. 

Kai and Kris distracted each other with a plushy fight, leaving Tao by himself once more. He needed to find a way to entertain himself and quickly joined up with Sehun, who was currently with Luhan blowing bubbles into the audience. Lay runs over dressed as an angry bird and throws one of the body suits at Tao. Lay sticks around long enough to help 

Tao into the suit before he runs off. Kris comes over to laugh at him and Tao makes a show of rubbing his belly happily while trying to avoid Kris’ wandering hands. He ends up closer to Sehun. 

One of Sehun’s bubbles got Tao in the eye causing the boy to step back a little and wince at the sting. Sehun is immediately to the rescue, holding Tao’s chin up so that he can check the damage.

“Will I live doctor?” Tao mused as Sehun checked him over. Luhan and Kris hover beside them, ensuring that Tao was alright.

“Well unfortunately, you won’t be able to play the violin again and your children are now Vampires” Sehun stated, patting Tao’s angry bird belly.   
Luhan wheezed in laughter. 

“Hey, you’re like Bella Swan. Human but carrying a Vampire child” Kris comments, laughing as if he had just discovered the secret of the universe. They all look at him in silence until he finally notices that no one else is laughing with him and coughs awkwardly before stopping.

“It’s very unmanly that you know Twilight” Luhan mocks, shaking his head before skipping off. Sehun snickers at Kris’ kicked puppy expression. Tao shoves his angry bird belly into Kris, causing the other man to stagger comically. It’s not long before Kris is chasing him across the stage. 

“Pregnant ladies shouldn’t run” is all Xumin says as he watches Tao trip clumsily into Kai and Baekhyun. 

Tao goes to respond but someone is calling out to him.

“Yeah?” he answers Suho’s call. 

Suho smiles. 

“Guess who’s backstage?”

Tao smiles, unsure but willing to guess.

“Hm. Shinee?”

Suho raises an eyebrow.

“No. It’s Simon-“ 

Tao instantly freezes at the name. What was Simon even doing here? His fiancé was supposed to currently be in Toronto, arranging a few meetings. Simon had said that he would not return for at least 3 weeks. It had barely been a week.

“-I guess he wanted to surprise or something cause he had flowers and everything…” Suho is still talking but Tao barely registers his words properly, too concerned with troubling thoughts but he continues to smile and nod as if listening. 

Tao’s relationship with Simon was not exactly a secret. He was happily openly gay to the world of KPOP. Tao had refused to hide the fact that he was gay because come on, it’s 2013 and if being gay had not affected him in getting chosen to be in EXO, then it should not affect him as a performer now. The fans and general public knew of his status, thanks to a well advised and well managed announcement of his sexuality that was planned by the executives of SME and executed during an EXO press conference before their Mama comeback. 

Kris bounced over to his side, happy to once more toss an arm over Tao’s shoulder,

“Hey, you want to grab dinner with Baekhyun, Luhan and D.O later?”

Tao dragged a hand through his buzzed style. Simon had not seen his new hair and he wondered if his fiancé would like it. 

“Or we could probably ditch them and head over to that restaurant you like” Kris suggests further. 

Tao grudgingly extracted himself from under Kris’ arm. Now that Simon was here, going to dinner with Kris alone would definitely not be a good idea. 

“Uh, rain check…I th-“

However, Suho is quick to inform Kris of Simon’s presence. 

“He wanted to surprise Tao. Isn’t he just the sweetest thing?” Suho grins, pinching Tao’s cheek, “I bet they’re going to go have some romantic dinner. Damn lovebirds” Suho pouts.

Kris’ smile dims a little but he no doubts tries not show his disappointment. Most of the EXO members have met Simon and the man had seemed very gentleman-like but Kris was not fooled by his pretentious display. He had noticed all too well the way Tao frowns whenever anyone brings up Simon’s name. Whenever Simon was around Tao would remain quiet and impassive, only nodding and smiling whenever Simon spoke to him directly. He often wanted to confront Tao about it but he did not want to make the other man uncomfortable or make Tao think that Kris was jealous and nosy. Which he was.

Oh, he was so jealous sometimes he could hardly see straight.

“Oh okay. I-I guess next time then?” he asks hopefully. 

Tao nods with a small smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. He looks distressed but hides it well as he tugged aside by a laughing Chen. 

~~

Kris did not trust Simon.

It was as simple and unidealistic as that. Now some people might say that his distrust of Simon stemmed from the fact that Kris wanted Tao for himself however that was not the case. Tao had been with Simon even before EXO was formed so there was no need for Kris to cling blindly to the hope that Tao would one day be more than just his friend. He tried to push his feelings away until he was comfortable just maintaining a steady friendship with Tao. Nonetheless, as he grew to know Tao, he was better able to read the other man’s facial expressions and body language. And with this knowledge Kris studied the slight shifts in Tao’s body as they went from relaxed to tense whenever Simon was near. 

Shouldn’t Tao be overwhelmed with joy and eagerness whenever his so called boyfriend of 3 years came to visit?

Kris had noticed the way Tao would try to smile but it never reached his eyes. Kris had seen Tao’s true smiles. The ones that made his cheeks puff up and cause his eyes to get smaller with tiny crinkles to end of them. Those were smiles that expressed Tao’s real happiness.

The smiles that Kris had seen Tao give to Simon were small and hesitant. Tao’s shoulders would stiffen making him look even more uncomfortable as Simon hugs him. 

And if Tao’s body language wasn’t enough, then came the real reason for Kris’ distrust and suspicions of Simon. 

Tao had bruises.

“I fell off the couch and landed badly on my arm”

“Twisted my ankle while running down the stairs”

“I tripped…”

“It’s nothing…just me being clumsy”

Tao’s excuses for his bruises were vague and flimsy. 

Usually they dressed in their rooms before the event but during performances that require wardrobe changes meant getting undressed out in open. The bruises themselves were usually covered by his clothing but being on the move constantly meant having to change in front of each other and Kris had noticed Tao’s habit of shying away from having to remove his clothes in front of the others.

It was on one such occasion that Kris saw the first set of bruises that branded Tao’s porcelain skin. His left hip had been stamped black and blue. Tao had noticed Kris looking and had quickly pulled on his shirt ignoring the stylist as he chuckled nervously.

“I bumped into the kitchen counter by accident” he gave Kris a silly smile and Kris had believed him, telling the other boy to be careful next time.

The more bruises he saw, and the more excuses Tao gave, the less Kris trusted Simon.

“Is Simon really here?” Kai’s voice sounded from behind Kris.

“Yeah. That’s what I heard” Kris looked over to where Tao was playfully being poked by Luhan with a rubber sword. 

Kai scraped a hand though his dark hair.

“Are you going to let Tao go with him?” Kai was one of few who was on the same level concerning Tao’s well being. The young man was not swayed easily by Tao’s excuses either and had an even greater dislike for Simon than Kris. While Kris at least tried to pretend to civil to Simon for Tao’s sake, Kai had no quims for being civil and went out of his way to give Simon a scowl and serious case of stink eye whenever he saw the man.

“I- I really have no say in the matter. Tao refuses to tell me anything about Simon and I can’t just go punching Simon because of my suspicions” 

“Oh come Kris. You, me and Luhan can see that Tao is damn afraid of Simon”

“But to the others Simon is just Tao’s lovingly sweet boyfriend who Tao adores. They don’t see what we see and therefore…”

A hand grabs Kris’ arm and turns him away from Kai.

“He’s going to meet Simon” Luhan informs them, waving a hand behind him. Kris’ eyes follow the direction and spot Tao just as he rounds the corner to disappear off stage. 

Kris grips Kai’s upper arm to keep the young dancer in place.

“I don’t think Simon is stupid enough to try anything back stage. Lets- lets just try to enjoy the rest of evening. Maybe….maybe we’re all over analyzing all this. Maybe Simon is honestly a g-good guy” Luhan finishes quietly. The fact that Kris and Kai do not answer is a testament to fact that the three of them know that Simon is probably the big bad guy he appears to be.

 

~~

Tao does not return to the stage and Kris is the first to run backstage to look for him. He is informed that Simon had taken Tao back to the hotel.

“He is so sweet. He told me he had arranged for dinner plans with Tao” the female stagehand squeals with a passionate sigh.

Kris doesn’t question it further.

The night ends on a plus with the fans enjoying an amazing show and the boys doing what they do best. The drive back to the hotel is quiet since everyone is almost too tired to think properly let alone have a proper conversation.

Kris, Kai and Luhan are in the lobby of the hotel when it happens. 

Luhan had found the strength to ramble on and on about what he wants to eat and how he intends to eat it. Kai is pretending to be interested but is currently strolling through his phone while looking all sleek and mysterious to the fans snapping pictures on the outside. Kris, once again is just staring at any and everyone, all too aware of his height advantage over his fellow members as he drags his feet toward the elevator. 

A couple who seems to be going out, catches his eye. They seem to be American and are wearing ridiculous matching Hawaiian t-shirts. His eyes track them as he tried to hold in a laugh. They stop at the reception desk and he close enough to hear the woman say in very posh English

“There is quite a lot of noise coming from room 408 and I…” 

The room number sends a sinking feeling into Kris’ stomach. 

That’s the room he and Tao were meant to share. 

Kris makes a mad dash for the elevator. Kai looks up in confusion.

“There’s trouble at me and Tao’s room” is all he says, pressing the elevator button. It dings mercifully seconds later and Kris enters with Kai and Luhan behind him.

 

!!

Tao had led Simon into the room, feeling almost queasy now that he extremely tense dinner was over. He could tell that Simon had purposefully been extra nice to everyone but 

Tao was more than used to Simon’s fake appearance that he uses to cloud others judgement of him.   
Dinner had been delicious but the more Simon had leered at Tao, detailing all the sexual acts that he’s going to perform to Tao, the more had tasted like ash in his mouth.

Simon was more than a little buzzed now from all the wine he had drank. Tao isn’t surprised to be kiss roughly upon entering the room. Simon shoves the door shut behind them and presses Tao against it. He is surprised at the strength in Simon’s grip as the other man pins his arms against the door. Tao had expected Simon to be weakened due to drunken state but the man ways even more determined than ever. 

“Simon- Simon wait…”

A sharp slap to the cheek catches him off guard. Simon usually does not hit him on the face when he knows Tao has to make an appearance with the group. 

‘Oh God’ Tao thinks, as he realizes that Simon could do a lot more damage openly. How the hell would he explain the bruises when they’re on his face in the shape of hand prints?

“Simon….Simon, you’re d-drunk. Just…just give me a-“

Simon pulls back and stares at him, his eyes soft and understanding. Tao manages an appreciative smile.   
See, even Simon could be reasonable sometimes. 

‘I just need to keep proving to him that our love is strong and one day he will stop being so mean all the time. Once I continue to love him enough then he’ll-‘

“Let’s do it on the couch” Simon whispers huskily in his ear, rubbing his palm against Tao’s cheek. 

Tao blushes, flinching a little when Simon’s big hand brushes against the area he had just slapped  
.  
“I-We. We can’t. Kris might come in. Let’s go to-“

“Kris?” Simon pulls away from him completely. 

Tao swallows the heavy lump that suddenly flies into his throat at the suspicious look Simon gives him.

“Y-yeah. Uh, manage-management requested that, that we share rooms. Kris, he’s just rooming with me until the show ends” 

‘Stupid, Stupid!’ Tao curses himself mentally. He should not have mentioned Kris. He hopes Simon does not notice the blatant lie. Tao was used to sharing his room with Kris and was currently rooming with him at EXO’s apartment in Korea. He did not make a habit of informing Simon of this because he knew the other man would blow it completely out of proportion.

Why doesn’t he understand that Tao’s relationship with Kris was strictly platonic?

Simon seems to process the words while Tao’s heart rate accelerates. 

Eventually Simon smiles in return and runs his hands up and down Tao’s arm. 

His voice is reassuring when he says, “I understand”

Tao smiles back from the immediate rush of relief that makes him dizzy. He moves forward, intending to lead Simon to his room. 

“That you’re a fucking slut!” is what he hears before he is struck at the back of the head. The vase breaks upon impact and Tao yells at the pain, crumbling to his knees as he cradles his scalp. 

“You expect me to believe that you’re not sleeping with that pretty boy.” Simon’s jealousy rears its ugly head.

Tao rolls onto his side, dodging a kick. Simon is quick to run over to him grabbing his hair and using it as leverage to slam Tao’s jaw onto the floor. Tao tastes the blood in his mouth. He had badly bitten the inside of his cheek.

“I’ve seen the way he looks at you!” a kick to the face breaks Tao’s nose. He lets out a sob. “And I know you’ve been looking back, you bitch!” another kick to his stomach pushes him off of his side and onto his back.

“Look at you? Who the fuck would want such a fucking useless piece of shit” Simon moves out of sight. 

‘Oh God. He’s going to kill me’ Tao screams mentally as he barely scrambles away from Simon dropping another hotel vase on his head. 

“I MADE YOU WHO YOU ARE!”

Simon moves to kick Tao and this time the young man grabs his foot and tugs hard until Simon unbalances and falls onto his back.

Tao’s body is aching and all he wants to do now that Simon is down is crawl into a corner and lick his wounds but adrenalin courses into his veins and the will to live tears into him.

He wants it to stop.

He crawls on top of Simon and punches him repeatedly. 

Please…please just leave me alone! He wants to cry. 

I don’t deserve this…

-All I did was want for you to love me… - 

He only realizes that he’s screaming out loud when someone kicks open the door and pulls his off Simon. By this point, Simon’s face is bloody but he’s still breathing steadily.

“It’s okay Tao. It’s okay” Kris’ soothing voice is barely heard over Tao’s hitched breaths as he sobs. 

“The police are on their way” Kai informs them. 

Tao is silent now. Staring down at his bloodied hands in his lap as Kris whispers comforting echoes to him.

Luhan who had been circling Simon, kicks the man in the head causing Simon to moan in pain. Kai and Kris raise their eyebrow at Luhan who smiles innocently.

“Oops, I must’ve tripped”

 

~~

The press immediately swamps the story. It starts out with rumors about the incident at the hotel, then once they find out EXO was staying there the assholes begin to dig deeper into the story, pulling out all the stops to get eye witnesses to give statements. The SME managers swiftly swoop in to staple the mouths of each and every staff member of the hotel, binding them by law to not distribute any information to the press whatsoever.

Tao is placed in a private room at a hospital for a week, where his injuries are carefully tended to and he slowly heals mentally and physically. Despite the managers insistence that Tao should be left alone for a while the members do not listen and make an effort to visit Tao regularly. 

Tao permits Kris assess to his room whenever and Kris is all too concerned about Tao’s wellbeing to feel smug.

Simon is slapped with a lawsuit so swift after the doctors confirm that the man is going to be okay that Kris thinks Simon’s head must’ve twisted off its axis. 

Later, after Tao is fully recovered they return to Korea as a group. The mad dash through the airport is as hectic as ever. The members of EXO form a protective cocoon around 

Tao during his return to SM building. The boys all try to be subtle with their shielding of Tao but makes no apologies for blocking Tao from unwanted attention. The young man is overwhelmed by the support he is being given by the members that he blinks away tears as he thanks them when they get back to the housing building. 

That evening there is a knock at his door and Tao clears his throat a little before permitting the person to enter. “Uh…I’m, I’m just here to collect some stuff” Kris says shyly as he scans the room for what he needs. Tao is on the bed in front of his laptop, and he looks up with a confused smile, the bruise on his cheek yellowing with time. 

“Why?”

“The m-managers think it’s better for you to get some space…”

Tao holds up a hand in protest, “Stop right there”

“First off this is your room too, second, I-I don’t really want to be alone, Kris. Can-Could you please stay?”

That is all Kris needs to hear before he nods. They opt to watch a movie together and are quickly joined by Kai, Luhan and Sehun who fill the room with a comforting level of banter that makes Tao smile happily.   
Later that night, Tao experiences his usual nightmares. He had been alone in the hospital when he had them but as he begins to mutter and groan in his sleep, Luhan, Sehun and 

Kris rouse from their sleep. They do not wake him, instead they crawl close to him, Kris pressing against his back and whispering softly into his ear while Sehun and Luhan cradles Tao from the front. Eventually Tao calms down and settles between his friends.

Kris sleeps in the room from then on ignoring what the managers had requested. Whenever Tao whimpers in his sleep, Kris would tuck into bed beside him and kiss his forehead, rocking the young man to sleep in his arms.

Tao bravely testifies against Simon 10 weeks after the encounter.   
It had taken some time for a proper case to be filed since Simon and his lawyer for strongly adamant that Tao was providing them with faulty information.

“He attacked me!” Simon had declared, pointing toward his still healing injuries. “After all I have done for him, he turned around and beat the shit out of me because I found out he was fucking that Kris guy”

The case boiled down to Tao’s word against Simon’s. There was no suitable evidence of previous violence against Tao despite Tao timidly narrating past abuse Simon had done to him. Tao had even had to admit that the ‘clumsy accidents’ he had lied about were really results of Simon’s abuse. Simon was quick to rebut all of Tao’s memories.

“A pack of lies. He’s obviously lying, I would never! Never. I- I have been, I just wanted the best for him” Simon has actually sobbed a little during one of the meetings with the lawyers.

Tao’s injuries were much more severe than Simon’s however and therefore the court took into account that the beating Simon got was out of self-defense.  
In the end Simon was still a free man. He did not go to jail for 50 years as Tao had hoped. He did not suffer half as much as he should’ve in Tao’s opinion. During the verdict 

Simon had looked around at Tao and smirked a little, leaving a sour taste bubbling in Tao’s throat.

Simon was slapped with a restraining order and 500 hours of community service. If he broke any of those he would be thrown in jail.   
It was not the justice Kris was hoping for but it would suffice for now. 

“Why don’t you just tell him?”

Kris makes a point of not answering the question. He continues to stare out of the tinted window of the minivan, pausing to look down at his watch before turning his gaze back out the window.

Luhan sighs, bouncing his leg annoyingly as he taps on his phone.

Kris puts a hand on Luhan’s knee to stop the unnecessary bouncing.

Tao’s plane had already landed some minutes ago and they were patiently waiting for him to exit the airport. The young man had been excused from the group activity and permitted to go home for a few weeks of relaxation. Despite Kris being saddened at Tao’s absence he knew it would be selfish of him to beg the other man to stay. Tao would return to his home in China where his grandmother lived. She was his only living family member and Tao had been so happy at the thought of returning home.

The two spoke on the phone almost every day and a few nights of skyping were all that contributed as communication between them.

Kris was extremely nervous. His palms were sweaty and Luhan’s questions were making him antsier. 

During their last skype sessions with Tao, he might’ve let it slip out that he liked Tao as more than a friend.  
It had been out of reflex!

Tao had been ranting on and on about not being very attractive, practically showcasing massive low self esteem that it made Kris’ gut tighten.

All he had wanted to do was reassure Tao that he was beyond physically appealing and instead he had sounded like some love struck stalker reading off a Hallmark card.

Tao’s face on screen had reddened. Kris was pretty sure that his own face had turned blue from holding his breath as he waited for Tao to reply.

“T-thank you, Kris” had been Tao’s reply. “Y-you are a good friend” Tao’s smile had been small and skeptical.

Kris had decided that since he had already stuck his foot in his mouth he might as well eat it too.

“What if I-what if I want us to be…more than f-friends?” 

Tao had been silent for a few seconds, before he breathed out, “K-Kris –“

“Oh God. Oh God. It’s too soon, isn’t it? Jesus- I’m, I’m sorry Tao” Kris immediately began to backpedal, afraid that he must’ve ruined their friendship. “God, I’m such an insensitive idiot. I didn’t even ask if you might like me that way- please Tao forgive…”

“Kris! Kris”

Silencing his ramblings, Kris had sat on his hands in front of the laptop waiting for Tao to continue.

“It’s okay”

It’s okay?

It’s okay…

Kris still pondered the full extent of those words.

Tao had not divulged into the topic much after that and Kris had had to save his frown until they had ended the chat.

The only communication they had had since then had been this morning when Tao called to inform him of his arrival. They had not talked for very long for Kris to ask the questions he was dying to ask and Tao did not stick around for very long on the line.

As of this time, Kris was unsure as to how they stood with each other.

Tao had said that it was okay.

But was it truly okay?

‘Dammit, should not have said something like that over skype!’ he bangs his forehead against the window. 

A polite knock on the same window jolts his head back up and he sees Tao’s smile through the tinted glass.

The van’s door open and Tao climbed in without fail. There were no screaming fans this time since Tao’s arrival was thankfully very hush-hush. 

Tao removed his hoodie, and hugged Luhan first even though Kris was the one closest to him. Kris further shrank a little inside.

Tao hesitated briefly before wrapping his arms around Kris. 

Kris purposefully hugged Tao tightly against him as if to will the other boy to hear how fast Kris’ heart was beating.  
Tao’s stringy arms returned the hug and as Kris was about to let go, Tao held on briefly.

“Did you, did you just say all those things just to make me feel better?” the soft brush of the whisper that ghosted Kris’ outer ear sent a shiver up his spine. 

“No. I , I do deeply care for you…as more than a friend” Kris breaks off to sigh, gathering his nerve, “I would, really like us to give, a, a relationship a try, but if you’re not ready as yet, I’m not rushing you. We would take things slow…I promise. That is if-“ Kris was about to launch into his prepared speech right then and there but Tao releases him from the hug and places a finger on Kris’ lips.

“I think I’ve heard enough” Tao grinned. He ducks his head shyly and nods, “And, and I would like that too”  
~~

 

THE END.


End file.
